Happy Australian Federal Election Day! I thought I’d share a few snippets of other posts I’ve been reading related to a number of political hot topics. Regardless of what happens later today; it is incredible to live in a country where it’s very, very, very unlikely that there will be any riots or other post election loss mayhem. Remember last Federal election resulting in a hung parliament? Remember the anarchy that broke out during the 10 (give or take) days that we didn’t have a government? Nup. Me neither. Whoever wins, I’ll be praying for “all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (1 Timothy 2:2). Feel free to interact with the mash in the comments.
>> Shellfish, slavery and same-sex marriage: How not to read the Bible
I have and linked to a number of articles and written my own brief response to Kevin Rudd’s appearance on Q&A earlier in the week. This article by the new Anglican Archbishop of Sydney – Glenn Davies – is excellent in how to read the bible in context.
>> Why the “Rudd as Theologian” Affair Is So Important. And so Dangerous.
David Ould has linked to a second video from Rudd on the Bible. Here is a quote from Ould’s post: “More importantly still we should note the increasing contempt with which he speaks about the Bible. This is not simply Rudd saying that certain sections of the Bible ought to be discarded, this is Rudd communicating in tone and manner (whether he likes it or not) that the Bible itself is ridiculous and that those who hold to a consistent view of the Bible are ridiculous.”
>> Religion and politics is like ice-cream and manure: they don’t mix
See the last snippety for some ideas on how to approach voting as a Christian. In this article Jarrod McKenna has some more thoughts. Among other things McKenna encourages Christians to “Use your vote for the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalised and the common good.”
>> Balancing the books on the backs of the poor
Tim Costello writes about the plan to slash federal funding to foreign aid if (and when) the Coalition win the election. This is terrible and is definitely an issue worth post-election lobbying and agitation. Lots of good quotes, here’s one: “The tens of thousands of young Australians who have championed the poverty agenda for the past decade are the ones that understand best of all that in a world of increasing connectivity we can’t afford to turn inward. Our aid program is key to our engagement with the rest of world, and in fact, reduction of poverty is directly linked to increased regional and global stability.”
Happy voting!